System for Detecting Remaining Quantity in Liquid Hydrogen Tank

• US 20090119033A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirose, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/55
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0304 using an electric heater
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0374 in the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0408 Level of content in the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/02 involving measurement of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/14 by measurement of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen stored in a hydrogen storage device. In this system, the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen is calculated accurately without being affected by the previous state in a tank. The internal pressure of the tank is detected. A fixed heat quantity is applied into the liquid hydrogen. The pressure in the tank after the application of heat quantity is detected. The volume of phase-transited hydrogen gas is calculated based on the heat quantity applied into the tank. The change amount of pressure in the tank before and after the application of heat quantity is calculated based on the pressure and the pressure. The remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank is calculated based on the volume of hydrogen gas and the change amount of pressure.

Claims

1. A system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in a tank, comprising:

means for acquiring the change amount of heat quantity in the tank;

means for acquiring the change amount of pressure in the tank before and after the change in heat quantity in the tank; and

means for calculating the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank based on the change amount of heat quantity and the change amount of pressure.

2. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for supplying hydrogen gas to the outside of the tank; and

means for acquiring the supply amount of hydrogen gas supplied by the hydrogen gas supplying means, wherein

the liquid hydrogen remaining quantity calculating means calculates the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank based on the change amount of heat quantity, the change amount of pressure, and the supply amount of hydrogen gas.

3. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 2, wherein

the hydrogen gas supplying means supplies hydrogen gas to an output device which uses hydrogen as a fuel, and

the hydrogen gas supply amount acquiring means device estimates the supply amount of hydrogen gas based on the hydrogen consumption in the output device.

4. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 2, wherein

the hydrogen gas supplying means supplies hydrogen gas to a fuel cell which uses hydrogen as a fuel, and

the hydrogen gas supply amount acquiring means estimates the supply amount of hydrogen gas based on the electricity generated by the fuel cell.

5. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein

the tank includes means a for heating liquid hydrogen therein, and

the heat quantity change amount acquiring means acquires the heat quantity supplied by the heating means as the change amount of heat quantity.

6. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 5, wherein

the heating means is a heater arranged in the tank, and

the heat quantity change amount acquiring means acquires the heating value of the heater as the change amount of heat quantity.

7. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein

the heat quantity change amount acquiring means includes means for estimating the heat transfer amount from the outside to the inside of the tank and acquires the heat transfer amount as the change amount of heat quantity.

8. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 7, further comprising means for acquiring the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the tank, wherein

the heat transfer amount estimating means estimates the heat transfer amount so as to be larger as the temperature difference increases.

9. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for detecting that the quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank has reached a specified quantity; and

means for acquiring the change amount of pressure in the tank for a predetermined period of time in the case where the tank is filled with the specified quantity of liquid hydrogen, wherein

the heat transfer amount estimating means estimates the heat transfer amount based on the specified quantity and the change amount of pressure in the case where the tank is filled with the specified quantity of liquid hydrogen.

10. The system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 9, wherein

the specified quantity is close to the full-fill quantity of the tank.

11. A method for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in a tank, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the change amount of heat quantity in the tank;

acquiring the change amount of pressure in the tank before and after the change in heat quantity in the tank; and

calculating the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank based on the change amount of heat quantity and the change amount of pressure.

12. The method for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

supplying hydrogen gas to the outside of the tank; and

acquiring the supply amount of hydrogen gas supplied by the hydrogen gas supplying step, wherein

the liquid hydrogen remaining quantity calculating step calculates the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank based on the change amount of heat quantity, the change amount of pressure, and the supply amount of hydrogen gas.

13. The method for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 11 wherein

the heat quantity change amount acquiring step acquires the heat quantity supplied by heating liquid hydrogen in the tank as the heat quantity change amount.

14. The method for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 11, wherein

the heat quantity change amount acquiring step includes a step of estimating the heat transfer amount from the outside to the inside of the tank and of acquiring the heat transfer amount as the change amount of heat quantity.

15. The method for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

detecting that the quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank has reached a specified quantity; and

acquiring the change amount of pressure in the tank for a predetermined period of time in the case where the tank is filled with the specified quantity of liquid hydrogen, wherein

the heat transfer amount estimating step estimates the heat transfer amount based on the specified quantity and the change amount of pressure in the case where the tank is filled with the specified quantity of liquid hydrogen.

16. A system for detecting the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in a tank, comprising:

a device for acquiring the change amount of heat quantity in the tank;

a device for acquiring the change amount of pressure in the tank before and after the change in heat quantity in the tank; and

a device for calculating the remaining quantity of liquid hydrogen in the tank based on the change amount of heat quantity and the change amount of pressure.